+8z The Life of Chrií. 819.. ) but by bare receiving and accepting or yeelding confènt to that righteoufneffe , which in regard of wor- king was the ri ghteoufihefè of Chrift, Rom, 5 .1 8. and in regard ofdilpofing ,imputing,appropriating unto us, was the righteoufneffeof God , Rom. 3. 21. I Cor. a 30. 'Phi1.3.9. To make the point of Iullification by the re. ceiving and nit the working of Faith plaine, let us con- fider it by a familiar fimilitude. Suppofe a Chirurgian fhould perfectly cure the hand of a Poore man from Come defperate wound which ut- terly drlabled him for any worke : when he bath fo done, fhould at one time freely beftow force good aimes upon the man, to the receiving whereof he was enabled by the former cure ; and at another time fhould fet the man about force worke , unto the which likewife the former cure had enabled him ; and the worke being done , fhouldgivehim a reward proportionable to his labour : I demand which of thefe two gifts are arguments of greater grace in the man, either the recompenfìng of that labour which was wrought by the ftrength bee reflo. red, or the free bellowing of an equall gift, unto the re- ceiving whereof likewife he himfelfe gave abilitie ? Any man will. eafily anfwer that the gift was a worke of more free grace than the reward though unto both way was made by his owne merciful' cure ; for all the mercy which was (hewed in the cure was not able to nullifie the intrinfecall proportion which afterwards did arife betweene the worke and the reward. Now this is the plaine difference betweene our doctrine and the do- drine of our adverfaries in the point of Iuf}ification. They fay we are ¡Litt ified by Grace and yet by worker, becaufe grace enables us to worke : wee fay we are juf}i- fied freely not by the workes of grace , but by the grace 'which beftowes our Iuffification, and therewith our firength ofworking unto us. For Purely Gods free grace is mort magnified in. giving us undefervedly both righ teouíheffe
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